Ava Autumn
by xXHeart of GoldXx
Summary: This story is about the Teen Titans, about nine years into the future.Slade kidnapped Starfire nine years ago. Robin is still searching for her. Will he ever find Starfire? Rated T because mentions of rape, but nothing graphic. R&R please
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans.

I sat on the roof of Titan's tower. I couldn't believe the titans split up eight years ago. I gazed at the star lit sky. Star. I remember her. I loved her. No, I still love her, with her beautiful green eyes and red hair. Oh, how I remember what she smelled like and everything down to how she felt when I kissed her. I sighed because I remembered that these are only memories, not the current reality. And the current reality was Cyborg was god knows where, Beast boy was with Terra, Raven was…well no one really knows, and Starfire was somewhere with Slade.

Slade. I hate him with all my guts. I have been searching for him for these nine years, since he kidnapped Starfire. How did he do it? I wouldn't know, would I? He took her from her room one night. Honestly, I was scared. I woke up one morning and she wasn't there. I watched the security tapes, but I came up with nothing, except the mask of Slade for two seconds right before he destroyed the camera. I don't know and probably will never know how he snuck into our high security tower.

I feel like I could have done something to save her. I should have been with her. I should have told her to come stay in my room. I should have had better cameras installed in the tower. I should have had listened to Cyborg to update the security of the tower a few days prior to her kidnapping. I should have…

No, wait. I know Starfire wouldn't want me blaming myself for this. I know that I had no control over this. It was Slade's fault and only Slade's fault.

I wondered every day, is Starfire still alive? Is she living well? Did she ever escape? I know she's alive out there, but I know for a fact she couldn't have escaped. If she did, she would have contacted me as soon as she was free. I still love her with all my heart. She's basically my other half, as cheesy as that sounds. I want Starfire. Scratch that; I _need_ her.

I'm afraid for her. I've been searching for her since she was kidnapped. I don't know what the other ex-titans were up to, though. I wouldn't know that. I lost contact with them years ago.

It started raining so I got up, and went inside while I kept those thoughts running through my head. I went to the main room and decided to take my mind off things and watch a little TV.

I woke up to a knock on the door. Funny, I didn't remember falling asleep. I actually felt much better because I haven't had a good night sleep in nine years.

Anyway, I got up and answered the door. To my surprise, it was a little girl. Her hair was a dark brown. It was matted and looked unkempt. She looked up at me with these dull green eyes. She looked tired and wet. It looked as if she spent nights on the streets. As I looked closer, she didn't look like she ate well. "Can I help you?" I asked the girl. She nodded. "Would you like to come in?" I asked. Usually I didn't let just any ordinary person in the tower, but she looked like she needed a bath and definitely some food. She just nodded and I led her in. She looked around in awe at the place. "Would you like some food?" She nodded again. I heated her up some chicken from the night before and gave her some milk. "Sorry, I don't have much of anything else." The girl just nodded and smiled as she quickly consumed the food. After she finished eating, I asked her, "Do you speak?"

"Yes. But I am not good at English. I pick it up as I hear other people speak." She said. "I remember I have to give you this note. You are Robin?" She had such a soft voice. It was cute, for a little girl.

"Yeah. I'm Robin." I said.

"That is good. Then I have found you! I hope you can help me. I do not read English good, so I do not know what this note says. My mommy gave it to me to give to you." I nodded and took the note. It read:

_Dear Robin, _

_ If you are reading this note, then my daughter has succeeded in this mission. I am writing this to tell you that I am still alive. Oh, silly me, you probably don't know who this is. It is I, Starfire. This seems quite impossible, but I managed to stay alive for these, what? Nine years I believe? Anyway, it was Slade who captured me. I know you figured this out. But you probably don't know where he is hiding me. Attached to this note are directions. _

_ Anyway, I sent my daughter to go find you. Again, since you're reading this, she has found you. Please help her. She is all that I have. I love her so much, Robin as I still love you. And I believe if you love me, you will love my daughter. I understand that you may not like her at first since her father is Slade. I did not do anything with Slade willingly, Robin. I swear I did not. But please take good care of my child. She will help you to find me. However, if it is too dangerous to come get me, leave me there. I promise I will be okay. I just had to get her out of there._

_ I love you, Robin, even if you have moved on. And again, take great care of her. I must go now. I love you._

_ Love you always, Starfire_

A tear escaped from my eye as I read this. I couldn't believe she still cared about me as much as I care about her. I needed to find Starfire. I was glad that she sent her daughter, but I wondered why Starfire couldn't come herself. Then it occurred to me; what is this girl's name? "What's your name?"

"Oh, I am how you say…sorry! I have not properly introduced myself. My name is Ava Autumn and I am seven years old. My mommy says that my name has a meaning. But I cannot translate it into English. I am sorry." Ava Autumn said.

"No need to be sorry." I said to her. "But I'm glad I know who you are now." I said to her. I then realized that this girl had a slight German accent. "Do you speak German?"

"Yes. I speak French very well. My father…I do not like to call him that, only spoke German to me. My mommy spoke Tameranean. That is my first umm…" She thought for a second. "Language. We spoke it because Slade did not understand what we said. When mommy and I were alone at night, she would teach me English. I forgot to say that you can just call me Ava."

"Oh, alright. That's pretty cool that you can speak three languages at such a young age." I complemented. She smiled. It looked exactly like Starfire's. "Do you want to take a shower?"

"Yes." She said. I led her to the bathroom and set her up in the shower with soap and shampoo. I closed the door when I left the bathroom to give her some privacy.

I went back to the main room. I wondered why Starfire couldn't come herself. I wondered why Slade would take advantage of her like this…I thought about how Ava's related to Slade. Why did Starfire love anyone related to Slade? I questioned whether or not Ava was a spy. I was going to question her more, I was sure of it. Any child would break down and tell the truth to whether or not they were a spy. A half hour passed and Ava came downstairs in clean clothes. "Sorry I took so long. I have not had a proper shower in a while."

"I have some questions for you." I said rather coldly. "Are you working for Slade?"

"No I am not." She answered. I used one hand to pin her to the wall.

"I am going to ask again. Are you working for Slade? Are you a spy? Are you trying to trick me?" I yelled in her face.

"I said no." She started crying.

"Tell me the truth." I practically screamed.

"Robin, you are hurting me." I stopped yelling at her. That one sentence brought back so many memories. I remember Starfire saying those exact words many years ago. I probably stood there holding up the crying seven year old for a minute. "I am not working for my father. I do not like him. I came to you to save my mommy and my other siblings." She was hysterical. I could barely make out what she was saying. I let her down gently.

"I'm sorry." I said and dropped to my knees. I felt like a jerk. This little girl wanted nothing to do with Slade. She stood up and gave me a hug. I hugged her back. I realized that I had to find Starfire now. With Ava's help, I believed I could find her.

**What did you think? Should I continue this? Please review and tell me what you think! **

**~Starfire's daughter's name does have significance in the story. The name Ava means "like a bird" The intention was to name her something related to Robin and Robin is a type of bird and the name Ava means "like a bird." You could think of the second part of her name, Autumn, as Robin's birthday could be then, or it could simply be for any reason you want :D**

**Anyways, please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans.

It has been two weeks since Ava showed up at the tower. I had to get her strong enough for the journey to get Starfire because she was so skinny when she arrived. She gained some weight and she kept telling me how grateful she was to get a nice home cooked meal and a bed of her own to sleep in. I wondered how her and her family survives in…well whatever they were kept in. I decided to ask Ava more about the place she was kept in most of her life and what it was like to get more of an idea of what I was going to face when I get to Starfire.

"It is very uncomfortable." She started. "My mommy and siblings are all stuck in a room together at night. It is basically made of cement I believe. We all have to share one blanket. It's very cold in the winter. It's dark but we have one candle. We get one piece of bread each for dinner. It is not enough to stop the pain of hunger in my tummy. My mommy usually split up her bread and gave it to me and my siblings. As I just said, my tummy always was empty, but of course I thought for the longest time it was normal." She paused. I could see her hold back the tears, but she continued. "During the day was scary. My father takes my mommy and…he abuses her. My mommy never told me exactly what he does, but she sometimes came back really hurt. She told the rest of us not to worry, but I sure did. I had an older brother. He would have been eight years old. But he's "no longer with us" is how my mommy puts it. My father worked him to death. He was only six years old. My mommy sent me to come get you because I was working for my father. She was scared that I would be like my brother, Aaron." I immediately gave her a hug. She cried into my shoulder. This was too much for a mere seven year old to go through.

"You're okay now." I said to her. She looked up at me.

"I know I am now. But it's so hard to believe." Ava said.

"I know." I replied. Ava explained to me how she got to the tower when she had been in Germany. She said,

"My mommy wrote that note before I left to come here. I was supposed to help my father empty out one of his very old…umm…places…"

"Lair." I said to help her out.

"Yes, lair." Ava replied. "I was supposed to help him clean out his lair. We were at the airport so no one was suspicious of a random airplane flying in the sky. My father put on a disguise and we pretty much looked like everyone else there. We were supposed to go to somewhere in South America. I purposely hid in the girl's bathroom, just like my mommy told me to." I smiled at the thought. Starfire is a smart girl-er-woman. Ava continued, "I then waited for the airport people to call a flight to…I forget the name of it, but it was somewhere in this state. I had to sneak onto the airplane. That was tricky. But I managed. I guess my mommy forgot how secure they make those places. Anyway, what I did was go through the big metal detectors. When they stopped me to ask for my…ummm…"

"Boarding pass."

"Yeah, that. I began to cry and say that I got lost and my mommy was already on the plane and they already had my boarding pass. They asked for my name. I saw one of the boarding passes sticking out from all the others. To my luck, it said the girl was eight years old and her name was Elsie. She believed my act and let me onto the plane. When I got to wherever the plane landed, I hitch-hiked all the way here to Jump City. The tower was easy to find." I laughed at that. Who wouldn't notice a giant T shaped building?

"That sounds like quite a dangerous adventure." I said. I couldn't believe a seven year old could do this all by herself.

"It was." Ava said. "But I'm happy that I got here."

"I'm happy you got here too, Ava." I said. I saw so much of Starfire in this one little girl. She didn't have her hair, but she had her bone structure, her eyes, and her smile. I couldn't get over the fact that this was also Slade's daughter, though.

I began to train Ava in martial arts to help her defend herself. She was stronger than most girls her age, despite the fact that she had been in poor living conditions her whole life. I figured it was because she was half Tameranean. She doesn't have powers like Starfire though. I could honestly say this girl was gifted. She was able to do many different defense moves and fought well. I assumed martial arts came to her naturally.

A week later, I decided that we couldn't wait any longer. We had to get Starfire out of there along with her kids. And I had to get rid of Slade once and for all.

**I realize nothing exciting happened in this chapter. It's leading up to more exciting things. I felt I had to add this chapter to show how Ava and her family had been living. So, please review and tell me what you thought! Thanks :D**


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans.

I packed food, clothes, and money in the old T-sub. Ava and I got in and I flew it toward Germany. "All of the trees look like broccoli!" Ava laughed. I told her that I agreed and continued focusing towards my destination. With the T-sub, which was more like a T-plane, I figured we would be there in a couple of hours. Nothing eventful happened on that flight, to be honest. Anyway, when we landed, Ava and I checked into a hotel for the time being. It was around eleven at night in Germany so I figured that Ava needed to sleep. Me, well, I could have kept going and going to find Slade that night, but I knew it was probably best if I got some rest too.

The next morning, Ava and I ate a good breakfast. Ava would be leading me to the place where Starfire and her kids were being held. We decided to go on foot because she remembered exactly where Slade made her walk to the airport. I questioned why anyone would make a seven year old walk to the airport with them? "And then I think…yes it's this way." Ava said, reading the sign that was written in German.

"You're doing a great job, Ava." I said to her. She looked up and gave me that "Starfire" smile. I smiled back.

"Umm, I do not know the way by road anymore. But I know how to get there through these shortcuts in the woods and stuff."

"Alright. Lead the way." Of course, one of these shortcuts ended up with is walking in the graveyard. Sure, it was around four in the afternoon and the sun was still out, but for some reason graveyards kind of creep me out. I read some of the graves. Some of them said the person lived to seventy years old. Others said they were five years old…one even said four months old. I'll admit, I felt so…sad for these dead children. I must have been so caught up in my own thoughts; I bumped into something and almost lost my balance. I stepped back next to Ava. She held on to me. There was a black aura and then, there she was. "Raven?" I said to the figure.

"Hello Robin. It's been a while." Raven said to me. I couldn't believe it! It was Raven!

"Raven? As in my mommy's friend Raven?" Ava asked and then looked over to Raven.

"Yeah." I said. "This is your mom's friend." I responded. Ava walked slowly over to Raven.

"Hi, I'm Ava Autumn but you can call me Ava." She said.

"Hello Ava." Raven said then looked over to me. "Robin, who is she?"

"It's a long story." The three of us sat in that creepy graveyard. Ava and I explained to Raven what was going on with Slade and Starfire and all that.

"So you know where she is?" She asked.

"Yeah. Well not exactly. Ava does." I said and Ava smiled at Raven.

"She looks just like Starfire, well, except for the brown hair."

"I know." I said. "My question for you is, what are you doing here, Raven?"

"I don't really know, actually. I sensed that you were here, though so I decided to drop by. I wish the circumstances were much different, though." Raven explained.

"Yeah, don't us all." I said. "Raven, I…we could really use your help. Want to join us to save Starfire and the others?" I asked.

"I…I…guess I can." She said, but then she only whispered to me, "I'm just afraid of what Starfire's going to look like."

"What do you mean?" I asked. I couldn't believe Raven was afraid of Starfire's looks. It seemed ridiculous! She was the most beautiful girl I know! Raven and I continued to follow Ava through the graveyard.

"You do realize that she hasn't eaten much in practically a decade, she's been beaten and raped and had a bunch of children. Robin, she may not look like the same Starfire to you." Raven explained to me. Everything she said made sense.

As we walked through graveyards and all of these shortcuts, I began to wonder what Starfire must look like now. Was she deathly thin? Was she bloody and swollen? Did she even look like the Starfire I once knew?

The three of us finally stopped walking. We decided to spend the night in an abandoned house. Ava said that we will be at the place where Starfire is tomorrow. I don't know how true this is coming from a seven year old, but I hoped that she was right so I could see Starfire again.

**Well, there's chapter three! I hope you guys enjoyed it :D Please review!!!**


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans.

_My eyes shot open. My heart was racing and I woke up from a cold sweat. I was in Titans Tower? My brain said to stay put and figure out what just happened. But my feet protested and I began to walk into the main room of the tower. I saw Beast Boy and Cyborg playing video games. I blinked a few times, not believing what was going on. "What are you guys doing here?" I asked._

_ "What do ya mean?" Cyborg said and paused the game. "You feelin' alright?" _

_ "I feel fine. But Cyborg, I haven't seen you or Beast Boy in years." I said, dumbfounded._

_ "Dude, you sure you're okay?" Beast Boy said. _

_ "What's going on?" I heard Raven say as she entered the room with her herbal tea._

_ "Raven, explain to me what's going on." I demanded._

_ "What is there to explain?" She asked and then took a sip of her tea. _

_ "How come we aren't looking for Starfire?" I said to her._

_ "What are you talking about?" I was really confused. "Starfire should be down here any minute." Raven finished. I didn't say anything as I took the elevator up to her room and ran down the hall. I was running so fast, I crashed into something-er-someone. _

_ "Robin? Are you unharmed?" That voice…that beautiful voice…_

_ "Yeah, sorry Star. I'm fine." I said. I finally looked at her to see…the most horrific sight in my life. Half of her face looked melted off and blood was oozing from her stomach. There was a deep gash in her left arm and she was so thin, I could see every detail of her bones. Her eyes weren't the beautiful green they normally were. Part of her shirt was missing and I could see her ribs…literally. They were sticking out of her flesh. _

_ "Robin? What is wrong?" She asked me. I screamed running past her. I went into my room and locked the door behind me. "What is going on?" I whispered to myself._

_ "We can help you." I heard a voice. I turned on the light in my room and saw a mass amount of children in my room. "Our mommy told us something is troubling you. What is it?" I saw these children and almost vomited. They smelled as if they were rotting, and by the looks of it, they sure were._

"Robin! Robin, wake up!" I heard. I slowly opened my eyes. I saw that it was Ava who woke me up. I looked around. I was in the abandoned house. This was reality. That was only a dream…no, that was definitely a nightmare.

"Good morning, Ava." I said.

"Why were you yelling in your sleep?" She asked me.

"I was having a nightmare."

"A nightmare? What's that?" She asked.

"A nightmare is a very bad dream." I explained.

"Oh, that's not good. Are you okay?"

"Thanks for asking, yeah, I'm okay." I said. "Where's Raven?"

"She went outside." She said. I nodded and went outside to talk to Raven. Ava stayed inside and ate some of the food I packed.

"Hey Raven." I said and stood next to her.

"Good morning." She said to me.

"I have a question for you."

"Ask away." She sighed. I remembered that she wasn't a morning person at all.

"Well, do you really think Starfire's going to look…different?" I thought about the dream I had that night.

"Yes." Raven said simply.

"What do you think she'll look like?"

"I don't know, Robin. She'll probably be thin and she might be hurt and her personality may have changed with all of the abuse she's faced. Obviously Ava doesn't know to what extent the abuse could have gone to. She probably doesn't even know she was the result of rape." Raven made a lot of sense. That's what I liked about her. No matter what the situation, she usually has the most logical answer.

"I heard that." We both turned around to Ava and didn't know what to say to that. "You were talking about my mommy." She walked over to us. She mostly addressed what she said to Raven. "I know my mommy is not what she used to be. I know that my mommy is skinny. I know that I am what you call, a child born because of rape. Is that a good way to put it? I know what it is. I have seen my father hurt my mommy like that." Ava explained. "I am not, as you say…"

"Naive." I said to help her out.

"Thank you. I am not as naive as you think I am." She finished. Raven was speechless. This was a first. That has never happened to her, not ever. However about a minute passed and Raven said,

"I'm sorry Ava." She kneeled down to Ava's height. "I didn't know that you would know all of this. You're a very young person, but you are very smart and strong. I should have known you knew. I am sorry.

"That's okay. There was no way you would have known." Ava gave Raven a hug. Surprisingly, Raven hugged her back. Raven stood up and said,

"Well, we should be going." We agreed and packed up our belongings and were back to walking through more woods and back roads. Right at sunset, we stopped walking.

"We're here." Ava said. I looked around. I didn't see anything.

"Ava, there's nothing here." I said. There was literally nothing there except some grass and flat land.

"There is. It's underground." Ava got on her hands and knees and found a handle to a secret door. She pulled on it. "Oh no! It's locked!" She said.

"I'll handle this." Raven said. Then, she chanted her famous lines. "Azerath metrion zinthos." The lock clicked open.

**So, what did you think of this chapter? Next chapter, there will be some action lol. Reviews are appreciated!**


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans.

Raven used her powers to set us down gently. That had to be a fifteen foot drop-at least! There was a long hallway and it was poorly lit. "Which way do we go?" I asked.

"Umm, I think we go right to get to my mommy, but left to get to my father." Ava responded.

"Where are we going first, Robin?" Raven asked.

"We have to take down Slade." I said anger evident in my voice. "This way, when we get to Starfire, we won't be bothered when we get her out of here." I started to walk down the hall at a fast pace, not caring if Ava could keep up or not. I realized Raven wasn't as close behind as I wanted her to be. "Come on, Raven! Keep up!"

"Robin, Ava can't keep up. And keep your voice down! Do you want to be caught?" Raven said harshly.

"Who cares if she can keep up or not? We know where to go now, so we don't really need her." I really wish I didn't say that. I knew Slade was getting to me, even if he didn't know I was there.

"Robin!" Raven said. "We wouldn't have gotten this far without her!" I took a breath.

"I know. I'm sorry. It's just that I'm so close to Slade, I can feel it!" I said.

"Be quiet! I'm actually sensing some presence close by." Raven said. We were all quiet. However, those stupid Slade robots came out of nowhere! Raven and I began fighting them off. There were probably about a hundred of them, but we were obviously winning.

"Help me!" I heard. I saw Ava being taken away by one of the Slade robots.

"Raven! Go get her! I'll take care of the rest of these Slade robots!" I shouted. Raven nodded. I got an adrenaline rush. I began hitting, beating, punching, kicking, defeating all of them left and right. Finally, they were all just chunks of metal by the time I was done. I was breathing heavily.

"You okay, Ava?" I asked. Raven was holding her. Ava just nodded. She clung to Raven and I heard Ava faintly say,

"I don't wanna go back. I don't wanna go back. I don't wanna go back…"

"You're not going back. I promise." I said to her. Raven decided she should carry Ava because this place brought back horrible memories for her. I agreed, knowing that this was too much for such a little girl to go through.

On our journey through the long tunnel, we battled hundreds of Slade robots. It always ended up as us winning the battles. Honestly, his robots weren't really that great. In fact, they were easier to defeat than the ones we fought when I was a teen. Raven was still carrying Ava. "I think those were the last of the Slade robots." She said.

"I hope so. I just want to get to Slade and show no mercy." I said.

"You mean you want to…kill him?" Ava asked.

"Well…I…" I stuttered. What was I supposed to say? Did she want him dead? Did she want him alive? I mean, no matter what he was her father, right?

"Please get rid of him. If he dies, no one's lives will be affected, and if they are, it will be in a good way. Just please, do anything to save my family." Ava pleaded. I nodded, confirming I would get rid of him once and for all.

"Robin, you sure you want to do this?" Raven asked.

"If I don't, I won't be able to live with myself." I said. She seemed to understand because she didn't say anything. We continued our way down the tunnel and finally reached a door. Ava whispered,

"He's in there." Raven and I nodded. Raven used her powers to take the door down.

"Robin. I knew you would find me sooner or later." That cold and calm voice belonged to Slade.

"Yeah, well I did have some help." I gave the others credit. Slade turned around.

"Ah, Raven. I knew you would be assisting Robin and his quest to find Starfire." Slade said. He slowly started walking over. "Where's the rest of your little team?"

"Not here, obviously." I said.

"Hello, Father." Ava made her presence known.

"Ava Autumn?" Slade sounded shocked. "Since when do you speak English? And how did you find Robin!?" Slade lunged for her. Raven used her powers and held Slade in the air and proceeded to throw him across the room. A loud crash was heard. Slade seemed much slower than he once was. However, he got back on his feet. We both went in a battle stance.

"Raven, take care of Ava! I'll handle Slade." I said. I knew Raven heard me because she backed up.

Slade decided to attack first. I dodged his attack. I turned around and began throwing punches at him. He dodged a few, but I got him right in the jaw. I heard a nasty crack. "Starfire's mine." He said. "She even had my babies." Slade taunted me even more. I began to block them out of my mind because I became so furious. I started attacking him with everything I had. I felt like I was fighting at super speed and threw punches, kicks, and jabs all over him. I was fighting offensive and Slade was fighting defensive. I had the upper hand. I saw obvious signs of aging with Slade. He was much slower and he was beginning to get tired a lot faster than he used to.

"What's the matter, Slade? Getting too old for games?"

"I'm just getting started." He said. He was obviously tired by how hard he was breathing. Finally, I slammed him on the ground. He had a hard time getting up. He attempted to, but he just couldn't. When he fell to the ground, I saw the damage I caused. Slade's blood was literally on my hands. He was lying in his own blood from the gash that I apparently put in his stomach from my birderang. Part of me felt bad, but part of me wanted to see him dead. I hesitated. Did I really want to kill him? Would it make me feel any better if I did? Questions were racing in my mind. I looked over to Raven.

"Only do what you think is right, Robin. But by the gash in his stomach, I think he's going to die no matter what. Right now, I sense an immense amount of physical pain coming from him." Raven explained as she held Ava close to her. I decided to kneel down to Slade so I could ask him some questions.

"Why did you do this to Starfire?" I asked him. He coughed up blood before he answered.

"To make your life miserable."

"Do you think Starfire really deserve this?" I asked.

"Partially."

"Why, Slade? Why would anyone deserve to be treated how you treated her?"

"Maybe she didn't deserve it." He coughed. "But I wanted her to be mine before she was yours."

"But why?" I asked, even angrier.

"To make you jealous, maybe a little angry." He chuckled, but it turned into a coughing fit.

"You're just a sick man. I'm so happy that you're going to die right now." It was my turn to let out a chuckle.

"I'm going to die?" I thought Slade was smarter than that.

"Yeah. You have minutes left." I said.

"Let me talk to my daughter."

"I don't trust you." I said.

"Let him talk to me, Robin." Ava said. She walked next to me. I stepped back to give them some privacy. I knew Slade couldn't hurt her anymore. However, I did overhear the conversation.

"What is it father?" She asked.

"You are a smart girl. You managed to figure out how to get to Robin. I thought I lost you in the airport." Slade said.

"Mommy came up with the plan. I just listened to her." Ava said.

"Ava Autumn, you amaze me. I wish I treated you, your mother, and siblings much better. Who knows? We could have lived a wonderful life as a family."

"No. We wouldn't." Ava said.

"Ava Autumn, you remind me of…well Robin, as hard as it is for me to say that." Slade coughed a bit. "You're determined, strong, and can outwit your opponents. Very good my dear child. Very good."

"You can try to flatter me all you want, father. But you are a horrible person."

"Maybe, but I will see you in the afterlife." Slade chuckled.

"There is no afterlife. There is no X'hal or God to forgive you. This is it. This is all you have." Ava said. "And this is the end." I saw Slade's eyes go wide at her words. Ava was indeed an intelligent girl. Slade then died. Ava turned around to me and Raven. "Was I too mean?"

"No. No you weren't." I replied. Raven and I both hugged her.

"You ready to go get your family out of that prison?" Raven asked. Ava nodded. We started down the long tunnel, leaving Slade's dead body behind. But I began to wonder, was there an afterlife? Was there a God? I remembered Starfire telling me about her faith in X'hal. I remembered her telling me how religious she was. Maybe Raven was right. Maybe Starfire was a whole new person.

**So how was this chapter? I'm not too great a writing the action parts lol but I did try my best :D Please review! **

**And if you want to name one of the kids, go for it! I'll give you credit if I decide to use them or not. If I get many, I'll choose the best one or two. **


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans.

We had to have been walking for a half an hour by now. I was getting quite anxious to see Starfire and hold her close to me once again. I promised myself I would nurse Starfire back to health and I would help her family.

"We're almost there." Ava said. I was currently carrying her because the poor girl was becoming exhausted. It was the least I could do considering she did help me get this far. I was so close to Starfire. I felt my heart beating out of my chest. All of a sudden, we stopped.

"There it is." Raven said. "You ready?" Good question. Was I ready? The door was right there. I could see Starfire now and I would feel her again. I would smell her again. I would taste her lips on mine again. Of course I was ready. I was prepared to see the skin and bones behind the door-no-I was ready to see the most beautiful, kindhearted girl.

"Yeah. I'm ready." I said with confidence.

"Put me down." Ava said. "I know the password to open the door." I did as I was told. Ava entered the eight digit password. The door began to slide open slowly. I heard screams of a few children, probably afraid that Slade was here to do whatever he did to them. Why won't this door open faster! There was another door. Of course. I sighed. "Don't worry. This is the last door." Ava said as she entered another password. The screams were becoming louder. "Don't worry! It's us!" She shouted.

"Ava? Oh, sweetie, you are back!" I heard someone say. "Come here." I saw Ava run off into the darkness. I looked up. I saw the smallest window up so high, maybe about fifteen feet!

"This is bad." I heard Raven mumble. I silently nodded in agreement. Starfire lived like this for nine years? It was hard to believe she was still alive.

"Mommy, we will be okay! I found Robin and we happened to bump into Raven along the way and she helped us too!"

"You are unharmed?"

"There's not a scratch on me! Maybe a few but nothing serious." Ava chuckled. "Come on mommy." Ava led someone over to me and Raven. As she came closer, I realized that it was indeed Starfire. Her once beautiful red hair was dull in color. Her curves were gone. Raven was correct. She was just skin and bones. Her clothes were ripped and torn and her skin was so pale. Her skin was not orange anymore. It was the palest orange anyone could imagine.

"Starfire." I said. I couldn't believe I was able to see her again.

"Robin!" She exclaimed. Her voice sounded so dry. I wondered when the last time she saw water was. I embraced her. I was expecting a strong hug from her, but it was a weak hug. The very thought of her strength being withered away upset me. I didn't want to let go of her.

"I love you so much. I never stopped." I said.

"I love you too." She said to me. I longed for those words from her for those nine years. I finally heard them.

"I'm sorry I didn't find you sooner. I'm sorry I let him take you."

"Do not blame yourself, Robin. Please do not." She said. I wanted to please her. I had to. I wanted to.

"Okay." I whispered. When we finally broke from the hug, I saw that Starfire was crying. I wiped away the stray tears that were gracefully falling from her eyes and onto her pale cheeks. She walked over to Raven and gave her a hug.

"I missed you so much." I heard her sniff.

"I missed you too. I'm glad I was able to help find you." Raven said. I saw a few tears leave Raven's eyes. When they were done, Starfire knelt down to talk to Ava again.

"I see you ate well." She smiled.

"I did mommy! I ate spaghetti for the first time! And lots of other stuff but I really liked the spaghetti." Ava said. Starfire chuckled at that and stood up.

"What's speggi?" I heard a voice say. I looked down and saw a little boy with the same dark brown hair as Ava, but had brown eyes. He was very skinny. He looked to be about four years old and had little fat on him.

"Caleb, it's called spaghetti." Ava laughed. "And it's really good. You'll have to try it." The little boy named Caleb nodded.

"Will I like that?" A little girl came out of the dark corner. She happened to have green eyes and brown hair, just like Ava.

"You will be able to eat as much as you want when we leave this place. Right, Robin?" Ava looked up at me.

"Of course." I said.

"Oh, Robin and Raven, I am so sorry. I forgot to introduce these two to you!" Starfire said.

"That's okay Starfire." Raven replied. Starfire smiled.

"This is Caleb. He's going to be five next month." The little boy smiled and looked at me and Raven. "And this is Sophia. She's three." Sophia shyly waved and then hid behind her mother.

"Hey you two." I said. I saw Sophia was afraid of us. I knelt down. "Sophia, you have nothing to worry about. Your mother and I are best friends." I said. She smiled and came out of her hiding spot.

"Come on, I think we should get out of here." I said.

"One moment. Let me get Justin and we can go back." Starfire said.

"Who's Justin?" Raven asked.

"My son. He is hurt and he cannot walk on his own." She said.

"What happened to him, Starfire?" I asked. I saw the look of sadness sweep over her face.

"He's almost six now. When he was about two, Slade hurt him badly. Now, he will probably never walk. I believe he may be paralyzed from the waist down." Starfire said. She went to go get him and I was surprised when I saw Starfire carrying the small child. I didn't know how she could carry anything with those sinewy arms.

"Let's go." Raven said.

"There's another door to outside. We'll get out of here faster." Ava said. We walked for about ten minutes.

"Where is it?" I asked. Ava pointed.

"Up there." Great. It was another high door to the outside.

"Well, looks like Starfire and I are going to have to get everyone out of here." Raven said.

"Raven, I cannot fly."

"Aren't you happy? You're free, Starfire." Raven said.

"I am very happy, but I haven't had proper sunlight in years. Right now, I have no powers." She said, looking down at Justin in her arms.

"I'm sorry, Starfire." Raven said.

"It is okay Raven." She gave a weak smile.

"Azerath metrion zinthos." Raven said and the door burst open and she levitated and used her powers to lift us out of the horrible prison.

When we got out of there, Sophia and Caleb began running around outside. It looked to be about seven in the morning. I guess we were down there fighting longer than I thought. I looked across the field and saw the backpacks Ava and I brought with us. I ran over to them. They were untouched. I brought them over to Starfire who had a big grin on her face as she held Justin.

"Mommy, I like it out here." I heard Justin say.

"I do too." Starfire said and gave him a kiss on the forehead. She put him down on the grass and he began to drag himself around. I felt so bad for him. If Slade never put his hands on him, he would have been running around with the others. However, I saw Ava come over and play with him. She sat on the ground next to him.

"Hey, I have some food and water." I said. Sophia and Caleb came running over. I gave them Ava's backpack. I had to open water bottles for them. I gave Ava a small snack, but I gave Caleb a water bottle and a bunch of fruit. He smiled at me and ate it happily. Raven was sitting, helping Sophia and Caleb open various foods. I walked over to Starfire. "Hey Star. You want some food?" I asked, holding up the back pack.

"Once they are all finished."

"No, you need to eat now. You have no option." I said as I sat down next to Starfire.

"Okay, okay." She giggled. I gave her some water. She gulped half of it down quickly. I began to feed her strawberries. She ate them quickly. She must have been so hungry. "Shouldn't you be eating?" She asked me.

"No, I'm fine. It's you I'm worried about." I said.

"Eat one." She said and took a strawberry and shoved it in my face. I fell backwards and we were both laughing. We sat up, and I kissed her with so much passion and love. She kissed me back and we began a make out session until we were interrupted by Raven.

"Sorry you two love birds, but I think we should get going now."

"You're right Raven. Let's get going." I said. I carried Justin so Starfire could just worry about walking.

"I remember that there is a town close by. We could probably take the bus or something." Starfire said.

"I think you're right, Starfire." Raven said as she picked up Sophia.

"That sounds good." I said. "I flew the T sub over so we won't have to worry about a plane ride."

"That is glorious, Robin!" Starfire exclaimed. "Where will we go? Are you still at the tower?"

"Of course I am." I responded.

"So we are still titans?" Starfire asked. I didn't want to disappoint her, but I had to tell the truth.

"No, Starfire. We split up years ago."

"Beast Boy and Cyborg are not waiting for us to return?" Her smile turned into a frown.

"Sorry, Star. I don't even know where Cyborg went. Beast Boy is living with Terra. They're married now. But I don't know their current location." I explained. She looked over to Raven.

"I don't know where they could be either. I'm sorry." Raven sighed.

"Oh, it is alright. I am glad that you guys saved me, along with Ava." She smiled. Ava looked over and said,

"It was nothing." We laughed at her as she kept walking along side Caleb. When we walked into a small town, we immediately saw a bus station. I got tickets to the town closest to where the T sub was located. The seven of us got on and took a seat. The ride was uneventful. It was just a typical bus ride. I was glad that it was because so much has happened in the past month or so.

A few hours later, we were in a city. "Anyone know where we go from here?" I said and looked around the unfamiliar sights.

"I have an idea. But I don't know if it's right." Raven said.

"Let's try anything. Which way?" I asked.

"We should go North. I kind of remember this city. I've been here twice before. And the path that you and Ava were walking when I saw you guys, this way seems right." Raven explained her reasoning.

"Makes sense." I said. "Let's go." With that said, we walked until we hit a graveyard.

"This is the graveyard we walked through!" Ava exclaimed. This graveyard did look familiar. We walked along the path and there it was! There was the T sub!

"Robin, there's one problem." Raven said.

"What's that?" I asked.

"There's only room for five people." I didn't think of that, but I quickly came up with a solution.

"The kids can share. There's enough room for them and the seatbelts are big enough." I said. Raven agreed and Justin and Caleb shared a seat and Ava and Sophia shared one. I flew the T-sub towards home. I was so relieved Starfire was safe.

**I would like to thank sparklebluelemon for suggesting the name Caleb! Thanks so much :D**

**Anyway, what did you think about this chapter? Please review!**


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans.

When I landed the T-sub, I noticed that Starfire and her kids fell asleep. I did not want to wake them up, so I carried Starfire up to my room and put her in my bed. Raven took Sophia and I took Ava. We put them in Starfire's old bed. Next, I carried Justin and Raven took Caleb. We put them in Beast Boy's old bunk bed. Caleb had to go on the top bunk because of Justin's disability. Raven and I were quite tired too so we both decided to go to bed.

I walked to my room. I saw Starfire sleeping. She looked like an angel. I slowly slipped under the covers next to her. I wrapped my arm around her very small waist. I was happy to know that Starfire was in a comfortable bed, warm house, and next to me. I felt as if I needed to protect her. I knew that she was safe, but I felt that she was still in danger. I kept telling myself that she wasn't. My brain knew she was in no danger, but my heart told me that she was. I was too tired to think anymore. Right before I closed my eyes, I saw Starfire slightly smile in her sleep.

I woke up, startled, to a scream. It was Starfire. She was still sleeping and she felt tense in my arms. I sat up and shook Starfire to wake her up. "Starfire. Star, wake up." I said. I saw her eyes shoot open.

"Slade!" She screamed. I saw that she was slightly sweating, but she didn't feel warm.

"Starfire, you're okay. You had a nightmare." I tried to reassure her.

"No I am not! He's going to get me. He's coming to get me as I speak. He's going to hurt me. I do not want to be hurt again. I do not want to wake up with blood on myself. I do not want the pain…" She began to cry. I held her close to me. She did not resist.

"Starfire, Slade is dead. He can't hurt you anymore." I made her look me in the eyes. "Starfire, he can't hurt you. I promise." She nodded and began to calm down.

"I am terribly sorry, Robin." She said.

"You have nothing to be sorry for." I said and gave her a kiss on the lips. She kissed me back.

"Can we just talk?" She asked. "I do not really want to go back to sleep."

"Sure." I said. "What do you want to talk about?"

"This may seem random, but I have been thinking…do you believe in a supreme being?"

"Like a God?"

"Yes. Do you?" She looked at me.

"Sometimes." I said truthfully. I was glad she brought this up because I really wanted to talk to her about this. After Ava said there was no X'hal or God to Slade, I really wanted to know why she would think that because from what I remembered, Starfire was religious and really did believe in X'hal. Back when we were teenagers, she would tell me some of her prayers from her home planet. She would talk about her faith in X'hal and how she made everything happen in her life. She even told me that X'hal brought us together. "Why do you ask?" I knew exactly why she asked.

"I do not think there is one, Robin."

"Why is that?" I asked, listening intently.

"Look at what has happened to me. I was the one who was faithful and look where it brought me. I think that if X'hal was real, then this horrible thing would not have happened to me." She said.

"I understand." I said. I didn't want to argue about this. Not now.

"Thank you, Robin." Starfire said. "Robin?"

"Yeah?"

"I am…hungry." She said. I saw her put her head down.

"Alright, but what's wrong?" I asked.

"I should not be asking for food." Starfire responded.

"Star, if you want food I'll go get it for you." I said.

"Oh, thank you Robin!" She exclaimed. She gave me a hug. I hugged her bony frame back. I left the room to go get her some food. I went to the kitchen and grabbed a few snacks and a water bottle. I couldn't believe she felt guilty for asking for some food! I guessed that she was used to being denied and starved. I shook the thought out of my head. I had to stop thinking about the past and focus on the future and the present. When I got upstairs to my room, I saw that Starfire fell asleep. I silently chuckled to myself. I put the snacks on my nightstand and covered Starfire up with the blanket. I slipped next to her and fell asleep myself, dreaming about pleasant things about me and Starfire. The last thought I had that night was one question; how will my future be with Starfire?

**Well that's the end! Hope you liked it! :D**


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